The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1887-05-20
THE INTERSTATE LAW.
How it Affects American Trade
with Canada.
Great Interest in Long and
Short Hauls.

ment Of state has received and trans
mitted to the interstate commerce
commission for its information let
ter from United States Consul Twich-
ell. at Kingston, Canada, npon the SUBJ
ject of the interstate commerce law
and its effects upon the trade with
Canada. The consul says: "C;,nada's
high protective tariff, in which there is
no prospect of reduction, has made me
apprehensive from the first of the
effect of increased railroad rates on
importing from the United States to
this section Of Canada. Since the 1st
of April these rates were shown by
freight bills here to have been in
creased from 25 to lOO per cent with q
change of Canadian roads. After wait
ing thirty days for effects l have
made a canvass OF the importers of the
city of Kingston with the following
result. Coal dealers are preparing to
bring coal from Nova Scotia for all pur-
poses where Nova Scotia coal can be
used. American coal buyers have put
in their orders for Nova Scotia coal.
In hardware, and pressed tinware, 1 find
orders have been changed from Ameri-
can to Canadian houses on account of
freight. In groceries there is the same
complaint. The products of countries
outside of the United States are now
expected to get by way of British Co.
lumbia and Halifax. An unpleasant
feature in connection with the canvass
has been the expression how and where
they may make purchases without COM
ing in contact with American railroads.
With the general reaching out for
trade, it seems to me unnecessary to
prophesy what will be the effect
upon American manufacturers. whole
sale dealers and railroads by these gen.
eral inquiries"
There is great interest manifested in
speculative and railroad circles to as
certain whether the commission will
take any immediate action as to the
enforcement or non-enforcement Of
the long and short haul provisions,
and, if so, what? 1t is claimed that by
the terms of the decision the commits
sion has reserved the right at any time
to put the law again in force. The
claim is specially made as to the order
in the matter of the southern roads,
which are operating under the ninety
days suspension. Some of the sena-
tors who are here, and who took an ac-
tive interest in the support of the law,
maintain that the commission did not
act in accordance with the law in sus-
pending the fourth section as to the
southern roads. They say that the
law does not give the COM
mission authority to suspend with
out investigation, that an investigation
must in every case precede a suspension
and that no such investigation was
made prior to the suspension in the
case of the southern roads. 1t is also
maintained by. these senators that the
commissioners under no circumstances
are given the authority permanently
to suspend the operations of the fourth
section. The commissioners have
themselves given no intimation as to
what their plan will be and they are
not likely to do so until their decision
is announced in open session. The gen
eral public opinion here when the COM
mission left for the south was that the
commission was opposed to perma-
nent suspension. But from interviews
had with members of the commission
since their return the impression is
that the commissioners have changed
their views and that they now favor
the suspension.